戴希朱(1850-1918):清末民初地方士绅的一个生存模式 = DAI XIZHU (1850-1918): A survival model of local gentry in late Qing and early Republic of China

Abstract

This thesis attempts to provide and interpret a survival model of a group of lower class intellectuals, living in the southeastern part of China during the late Qing and early Republican period. Taking a perspective of both intellectual and local history, the specific case study of this thesis is on Dai Xizhu (1850-1918) who was living in Fujian. The model shows local gentry such as Dai Xizhu upheld the core values of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, and practiced it in the local community in order to safeguard regional stability and maintain social orders. Both Dai Xizhu?s thoughts and actions reflect the intellectual responses to social transformations during that period. Moreover, the local community of that time displayed a continuation, which is largely due to the persistence of the local gentry like Dai Xizhu who instilled Neo-Confucian ideals on local practices.